The Bad Ass Beer Club, which costs $79, began Wednesday (March 1) and affords members a chance to get $3 pints at its Cincinnati and — when it opens — Cleveland taprooms.

Members also will receive upfront: a flight of four beers, a growler, growler fill, special release pint fill, T-shirt, pint glass, four coasters and invitation to a beer education class. That’s a $99 value, the brewery said.

The Cincinnati brewery is limiting the club to 500 members at both locations.

“We wanted to first communicate that this is not in response to someone else establishing a club,” Bad Tom owner John Vojtush said in an email. “This is something we have been building towards over the last four months. We have been offering a select Legend Series beer each month at $3 per pint. The chosen Legend Series beer was the most popular selling beer over the other Legend Series beers by 50 percent each month (meaning it didn’t matter which beer it was, the $3 beer was always the highest selling per unit beer by 50 percent plus each month). Our objective is to establish customer loyalty without having to go crazy with a cute loyalty program that just gets lost in all the other offerings that are available.”

He also noted that many craft beer customers are factoring cost into their beer-buying decisions.

“The customers fully understand that our efforts and costs come at a higher cost, but with so many new breweries and quality beers coming online, in both draft and cans/bottles, there is a subset of our market that is wanting relief in cost and fully expect higher quality,” Vojtush said.

“We believe we can capture additional market share by providing a pint at lower cost, while still driving to a higher quality beer,” he added. “In no way are we compromising quality in making this move and remember, this is a limited offering (only 500 active memberships per location). It’s the result of us developing a production and taproom operating model that focuses on developing a manufacturing and service model that is efficient in all areas, leading to a better product that we can provide at a lower cost.”

Vojtush noted that the taproom in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood is on track to open in May. He had hoped for late March or early April, but said building and inspection issues delayed the process.

Bad Tom Smith also has signed a letter of intent to relocate its Cincinnati brewery and taproom to Madisonville — about three miles away from its current location on Eastern Avenue. The brewery will be “a core part” of an economic development project that will help revitalize the area, Vojtush said.

He added that the new site is only 1.5 miles away from the new MadTree Brewing Co. location on the same road.

“If all goes according to plan, we will be in the new location by end of year 2017,” he said.

The World of Beer is once again looking for three interns to travel around the country and drink beer for free, while also sharing their experiences online along the way.

The second annual Drink It Intern program -- the lucky folks receive $12,000 plus travel expenses -- runs May through August.

“World of Beer was established with the belief that great beer and beer stories have an inordinate ability to connect people, establish community and create lasting memories,” World of Beer CMO Terry Haley said in a prepared statement. "Our Drink It Interns embody this belief as they document their journey through craft beer culture, to offer a fresh and highly personal perspective to the craft beer community, while gaining career and life skills along their journey."

The Tampa, Fla.-based beer chain is accepting online applications from March 1 to March 26. People -- those of legal drinking age, of course -- can submit a one-minute video showcasing their passion for beer and talking about beer in general.

Finalists will be asked to attend in-person interviews before a panel of celebrity judges on April 8. The World of Beer on High Street in Columbus will host one of the interview sessions.

Last year, during the inaugural program, more than 7,000 people submitted videos or applied in person for the internships. One of the lucky winners had Ohio ties. Ben Lolli of the website The Beer TrALE grew up in Canton and graduated from the University of Akron in 2010.

Jackie O's brewmaster Brad Clark said he was surprised at the showing for Spirit Beast, which is a blend of several ales, including Dark Apparition. "Feels great to see our blending program get some press," he said.

Spirit Beast is available only at a few restaurants and bars in Columbus and Athens, Clark said.

Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron placed two beers in the top 50: Rocky Mountain D.O.R.I.S. at No. 9 and Rocky Mountain B.O.R.I.S. at No. 14.

“Winter Warmer Fest is the Ohio Craft Brewers Association’s favorite way to help northeastern Ohio’s craft beer drinkers snap out of the winter doldrums,” said Mary MacDonald, executive director of the association.

“We love that Cleveland loves this event and our brewers come out in full force with some great beers to celebrate this long-standing beloved beer tasting.”

In addition to the beer, the Slyman’s Tavern Food Truck, Fired Up Taco Truck, Zydeco Bistro, Scott’s Fire and Ice and Sweet! Mobil Cupcakery will be there, along with the Black Sheep Pipes & Drums, Austin Cane and Chris Allen.

Tickets are $45, which includes tasting tickets for 40 2-ounce samples and a souvenir glass.

For more details, including a rundown of the participating breweries and ticket information, click here.

"Sunshine has been a personal favorite for a lot of guys in the brewery," he said Tuesday. (Feb. 28) "But I think it's been one of those beers that doesn't get the respect that maybe it deserves. I think it's one of the most balanced, sessionable hop forward beers that is out there. It's pretty aggressive for the style."

Fat Head's -- which has a production brewery in Middleburg Heights and brewpubs in North Olmsted and Portland, Ore. -- also fared well in the Specialty IPA competition, with its Peter Piper Picked a Pepper IPA making the final four.

Meanwhile, Fat Head's Head Hunter IPA and Built for Speed IPA remain in contention for the IPA crown. Seventh Son Proliferous is the only Ohio beer still standing in the Imperial IPA competition.

Brewfontaine, which opened in 2015, took home the top honor in the Buckeye State.

There were more than 7,000 votes cast in the online survey.

“CraftBeer.com readers understand what sets a beer bar apart and have continually shown up since 2012 to recommend and praise their favorite spots,” CraftBeer.com publisher Julia Herz said in a prepared statement.

Last year's winner in Ohio was the Lizardville Beer Store & Whiskey Bar in Bedford Heights.

Brewfontaine is planning a thank you celebration from 5 to 10 p.m. March 9.

“Because it’s Ohio recognition, we decided to bring in some of the rarest beers being made right here in the Buckeye State,” Brewfontaine co-founder Adam Rammel said in a prepared statement. “It will be all Ohio beers, ciders and meads for the big event and most of the offerings have never been through our doors before."

For more details about the Great American Beer Bars competition and to see all the winners, click here.

-- Drink Up Columbus reports that Kindred Artisan Ales is getting a new name. The brewery will be known as Kindred Beers moving forward. "We wanted to create a brand that's recognizable and approachable that can also be interchangeable throughout the life of the brand," CEO Kevin Schmudde says. To read the full story, click here.

-- The Youngstown Vindicator profiles the new Biker Brewhouse, the only known brewery inside a Harley-Davidson dealership in the country. "The fact that we're inside the dealership provides a unique experience for those looking to buy a motorcycle as well as those wanting to drink good craft beer," co-founder Larry Wilson says. To read the full story, click here.

-- The Gnarly Gnome provides a rundown of Cincinnati-area bock beers in advance of the 2017 Bockfest. "Bock beer is beloved here in town, after all, we're host to the biggest bockfest in the nation ... maybe even the world," the website says. To read the full report, click here.

-- The Columbus Dispatch profiles the new DogTop tasting room at the new BrewDog facility in Canal Winchester. "We got a theme for all of our bars: Make it comfortable and be all about the beer," says Ben Stewart, who's in charge of marketing and sales. To read the full story, click here.

-- Cleveland.com reports on Lockport Brewery in Bolivar. "We're selling beer as fast as we can make it," founder and brewer Andrew Marburger says. To read the full story, click here.

-- Columbus Underground reports that Politcis and a Pint wll return to Seventh Son Brewing Co. at 5:30 p.m. March 2. The visit will include a tapting of the WOSU show Columbus on the Record. To read the full story, click here.

-- Fox19's The Cincy Weekend assembled a map and guide of every Cincinnati-area brewery -- along with ones that have yet to open. To check out the map, click here.

The popular event is celebrating its 10th anniversary, making it one of the longest running craft beer fests in Northeast Ohio.

“This is a longstanding event that celebrates art as well as people’s interest in craft beer and food,” said Bryan de Boer, museum director of advancement.

Art & Ale is set for 6 to 9 p.m. March 10 in the museum atrium. As in past years, the galleries will be open for the first two hours.

But there are several changes afoot this year — along with the addition of some new breweries. The tasting footprint will be expanded into the new Bud and Susie Rogers Garden, as organizers hope people will flow in and out the museum. There will be cornhole games set up outside.

The museum also is bringing back the people’s choice award. Trophies will be handed out to the brewery winners of the people’s choice and curator choice awards. (The curator judges are: myself, Cleveland.com beer writer Marc Bona and Acme Fresh Market Director of Center Store Sales Jon Albrecht.)

The event, presented by Acme Fresh Market and House of LaRose, will feature the following breweries, meaderies and cider-makers:

The Maria Stein brewery has hooked up with the Ohio Beer Co. to distribute its beers in cans and on draft. Moeller is now available in the two markets, brewery owner Nick Moeller said Monday. (Feb. 27)

"This is a step in the right direction for us," he said, noting that the brewery has plans to add a warehouse and tanks.

Moeller cans four of its beers: Wally Post Red, Honeywagon IPA, Burbank Blonde and Baked Oatmeal Stout. The brewery, which uses Iron Heart Canning, also plans to add Blackberry Prarie Wheat in cans in early April.

The award-winning Marlboro Township brewery wanted to do something special after the state did away with the ABV limit last year. It was either going to be a barleywine or imperial stout, and the owners opted for the imperial stout with rum and coconut, head brewer Jake Turner said.

The imperial stout was aged for four months in rum barrels and then sat with 40 pounds of fresh toasted coconut for about a week.

The bottles sell for $19.99.

Muck Monster was a limited release so it’s selling fast, Turner said. But never fear if you miss it this time around, he’s making it again for release next winter.

Here's the rundown of the brewing permits pending before the Ohio Division of Liquor Control. These could be for new breweries or existing breweries that are expanding with new locations. I've also added hyperlinks when I could find working websites or Facebook pages.

This list isn't a comprehensive list of every brewery planning to open in the state. It's just the ones that have filed paperwork with the state.

To help with anybody who regularly checks, I've added the word "New>>" to the operations that are new this week.

Here you go, sorted by region, and accurate as of the afternoon of Feb. 24:

He hopes the new restaurant, which will have the same food and beverage menu as the other Brew Kettle locations, will open in May. The food menu ranges from beef brisket to burgers to barbecued spaghetti.

A sign posted in the window at the Varsity thanks its customers and noted that the business was closed Feb. 19 to be remodeled into a Brew Kettle.

The popular Brew Kettle operates a production brewery, restaurant, winery and brew-your-own business in Strongsville. It also has a satellite restaurant in Amherst and is opening one in Ironton in southern Ohio.

Russo said “there’s a good possibility” that there will be more Brew Kettles opening around the state.

“But it’s not going to be on every corner,” he added.

The Brew Kettle also announced plans in 2015 to open a new production brewery and restaurant in Strongsville near its current site. That project will begin construction this year, Russo said.

The brewery is known for award-winning beers such as White Rajah and El Lupulo Libre.

It also has formed relationships with Cedar Point and the Cleveland Cavaliers in recent years, producing exclusive beers for both the amusement park and NBA team.

Corey Miller is the head brewer at Hansa Brewery, which opened last year in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood. The brewery and restaurant, which focuses on Eastern European food, is located just a block from Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Question: Why did you become a brewer?

Answer: I’ve always been a DIY type of person. During college, I really got into craft beer and I also found out that a friend of mine homebrewed with his father. Knowing that it was possible and having the starting help from him, I took the plunge. Some of the main reasons I wanted to brew my own beer were to save some cash and to achieve a taste profile that would fit my exact preference.

Q: What has been the highlight of your brewing career so far and why was it so special? (Maybe it's been a beer that you brewed, an award that you won, an idol you've met ...)

A: As a commercial brewer: Creating a beer style native to Cleveland with Steve from Great Lakes Brewing Co. and Karl from Brick and Barrel was a great experience. We call it The Cuyahoga Common. It’s about 50 percent red wheat from Ohio, a handful of smoked malt and wet hopped. It turned out to be one of the best beers I’ve ever brewed.

As a homebrewer: Running Cleveland’s Iron Brewer Competition. We are in our third year and it is Northeast Ohio’s largest homebrew event. Around 30 teams of brewers use one mystery ingredient and brew a beer at one location at the same time together. It’s great for homebrewers to be able to hang out and see each other's setups.

Q: What advice can you give future brewers to be successful?

A: Be open and try new things. Take feedback with a grain of salt but still listen to what people have to say. A lot of homebrewers nowadays are jumping into commercial brewing, I would just say to be extremely careful who you partner up with. Never sacrifice the integrity of the beer and be patient.

Q: What’s your best-selling beer and why do you think it’s so popular?

A: It’s very close between our FemDom Kolsch and our German IPA. The Kolsch is light, clean, and very drinkable. It’s a very approachable German beer to expand your horizon. The German IPA is pretty unique and utilizes the newer German hop varieties that were bred to compete with American citrus hops. It has five different hops and contains notes of melon and strawberry with a pleasant bitterness.

Q: Which beer – any beer in the world – do you wish that you created/invented/brewed and why?

A: I love Belgian saisons and the history behind them. They were brewed low alcohol with whatever ingredients they had on the farm to quench the thirst of the farm workers during summer. The whole mentality fits my persona and fits with my ambition to start a farm with my girlfriend and our animals.

Editor's note: The Five questions with ... feature appears each Friday. If you would like to participate or would like to nominate someone to participate, send me an email at rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.

As Sibling Revelry Brewing gets ready to celebrate its first anniversary, head brewer Pete Velez is expecting big things from the Westlake brewery in its second year.

“The next year is just growth upon growth,” he said. “We’ve established ourselves and we’re ready to enter the exponential growth phase.”

Sibling Revelry, which operates a tasting room but also distributes several of its brands in cans throughout Northeast Ohio, jumped into the Cleveland craft beer scene last year with less of a focus on hoppy brews.

“That’s bode well for us,” Velez said.

“We think it’s a competitive market in Cleveland,” he added. “We’re happy with our placement. We think that we fit in and we contribute to the overall portfolio of the beer here.”

The 30-barrel brewery, located in an office park just off Interstate 90, pumped out 900 barrels last year and is on pace to produce 2,000 in its first full calender year.

“I think we just kind of dial it in more,” he said. “In our first year, we ended up with five beers that we put in cans. Three regulars and two seasonals. I would say (this) year we’ll have all four seasonals in a can and maybe one or two more regulars.”

IPA is the brewery’s top selling beer, with the Rowan’s Red running nearly dead even.

As for that anniversary celebration, the "Sibling Reunion" runs from 4 to 10 p.m. Friday (Feb. 24). The party will feature live music, hourly brewery tours, the Barrio food truck and the brewery’s first bottle release.

Syble Imperial Dark Ale, which clocks in at 8.4 percent alcohol by volume, will be sold in 22-ounce bottles for $14. There were only 224 of the bottles produced. The bottles are numbered and signed by Velez. They will be sold exclusively at the brewery.

When Abbey McArthur was laid off from her position at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores in late 2015 — a job she had held for 14 years — she turned to her husband Kevin and said: “Let’s just do it. Let’s not wait anymore.”

They had been talking about opening a craft brewery for years and now was the time to take the leap.

McArthur’s Brew House, a two-barrel nanobrewery and tasting room on Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls, will host its grand opening March 3, becoming the latest in a wave of new breweries in the Akron area.

“Blood, sweat and tears into this so I’m hoping it pans out,” Kevin McArthur said. “A lot of effort. A lot of time. And a whole lot of money.”

The McArthurs — he’s 38 and she’s 36 — live in Cuyahoga Falls. In fact, they joke about how they could crawl to the brewery from their home if they wanted.

Kevin McArthur, a firefighter, is a longtime homebrewer who also previously worked at Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. in Akron.

His plan is to develop solid recipes around popular styles and then branch out. He mentioned how he’d like to introduce a probiotic beer in the future.

McArthur’s has five taps and the brewery will launch with a steam beer, double red IPA, brown ale, pale ale and Irish red ale to start.

They are excited to hear feedback from beer drinkers. In fact, they will encourage feedback by having a suggestion box.

Land-Grant Glory American Wheat -- a beer made to celebrate the Columbus Crew soccer team -- will return in time for the kick-off of the 2017 Major League Soccer season, the Columbus brewery announced today. (Feb. 21)

Glory will launch exclusively at the Land-Grant taproom on draft and in six-packs starting at noon Sunday. (Feb. 26) The six-packs, which will be available at retailers starting Monday, will sell for $9.99.

“It’s always a great experience collaborating with our friends at Crew SC," brewery founder Adam Benner said in a prepared statement. "Partnering with the club has been one of the best decisions we’ve made at Land-Grant."

It's the third season that Land-Grant has produced the Citra-hopped beer.

The three-day music festival is set for June 2-4 at downtown Cincinnati’s Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove. Braxton Brewing Co. will sponsor the fest's craft beer village.

MillerCoors and PromoWest Productions announced the deal today. (Feb. 21)

"We are thrilled to be part of what has become one of the best summer events in Cincinnati," MillerCoors marketing manager Deanna Dane said in a prepared statement. "And those attending this year’s Bunbury Festival will love the views of the downtown skyline and their favorite bands provided by the new Miller Lite SkyDeck Bar."

The three-year deal includes Pigskin brewing a special Helles lager that will serve as an official Ohio Machine beer and the Gahanna sports-themed brewery's brands being available at Fortress Obetz, the team's home field.

"We are excited to be partnering with the Ohio Machine. Their values, work ethic and drive are very similar to our own,” Pigskin owner and director of operations Craig Bailey said in a prepared statement. "Also the sport of lacrosse is unique, complex, and gaining in popularity, very similar to craft beer. We are fortunate to have one of the best lacrosse teams in the world in our backyard, and we just want to help add a little something to Ohio Machine game days."

The Ohio Machine will host its home opener May 6 against the Rochester Rattlers.

“We just wanted to be progressive when it comes to craft beer,” Ohio Machine President Ryan Chenault said about the Pigskin partnership in a prepared statement. "Our team sees tremendous value in supporting Ohio-based products and businesses."

Pigskin, which celebrated its two-year anniversary last week, also announced that it's becoming a supporter of the Central Ohio Youth Lacrosse League (COYLL). The gastropub will host team gatherings and league events throughout the season.

Meanwhile, Columbus Business First reports that Pigskin is teaming up with Buckeye Canning to release Laces Out hefeweizen and Undefeated IPA in cans. To read the full story, click here.

Yellow Springs Brewery will release the beer in 12-ounce cans starting at 3 p.m. Friday (Feb. 24) at its taproom. Wobbly Wheel, first brewed in 2013 and now making its packaged debut, will be available in four-packs.

The beer, which is 9 percent alcohol by volume, will be available for a limited time. It will be distributed to restaurants, bars and retailers starting Feb. 27 and sell for $10.99. Wobbly Wheel is the third Yellow Springs beer to be released in cans.

To help celebrate the release, Yellow Springs will offer a slew of other IPAs on draft on Friday at the tasting room.

"We are planning to have some special guest beers on tap that we believe are not only great representations of the style, but come from right here in Ohio," Chris Hutson said in a prepared statement. "Taproom customers will see the debut of our brand new, one-off Double IPA as well as some of our classic IPA beers. With the unseasonable spring weather that is sweeping over Ohio, we plan to take full advantage by having extra beer stations set up on our outside deck for customers to enjoy, while taking in what is sure to be a beautiful day in Yellow Springs!"

"We planned it very carefully," said Bujak, a beer writer with the Great Lakes Brewing News who goes by the nickname the Muse of Brews in the beer newspaper.

The Summit Brew Path, organized by the Akron/Summit County Convention & Visitors Bureau and only the second official beer trail in Ohio, appears to be a smashing success.

About 4,000 passports were distributed on the inaugural weekend and organizers are already talking about printing more. They had an initial run of 5,000.

Many believe the unseasonably warm weather on the first weekend helped fuel interest even more.

"This is quickly exceeding our expectation and we're thrilled that everybody is tasting the great local craft beer that this community has to offer," Convention & Visitors Bureau President and CEO Gregg Mervis said Monday.

Many breweries, including Royal Docks Brewing Co. in Jackson Township, ran out of passports and were clamoring for more. Royal Docks handed out 200 and was planning to get another 100 Monday.

Organizers reported that beer trail website www.summitbrewpath.com had more than 7,500 hits as of Sunday.

"We had people standing outside the door when we opened Saturday and it didn't stop until 11 at night," owner and brewer Joshua Bringman said. "Far and away the busiest day we've ever had."

As for finishing fast, the Convention & Visitors Bureau would rather people savor the visits and take their time completing the trail. There is, after all, no special prize for finishing first or quickly, and people have until the end of the year.

Everyone who completes the trail receives "I completed the Summit Brew Path" T-shirt and an entry to win a grand-prize overnight stay in Akron.

"It's impressive what people will do for a T-shirt," Royal Docks founder John Bikis said.

It seemed inevitable, though, that someone would attempt to complete the trail on the first day. It's unclear whether anyone other than Bujak and Boettger accomplished the feat.

"It was a challenge," Bujak said.

She and her husband started at 11 a.m. at Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron and finished up around 9 p.m. at Wadsworth Brewing Co. in Wadsworth.

They mapped out their route in advance, noting opening and closing times of each brewery.

They also opted to focus on low-alcohol brews and not to drink a full beer at many locations, instead ordering just a sample. At several places, they didn't even finish their beers. A pizza from BrickOven helped fuel them through the day.

They said they finished the tour sober because of the amount of time spent and amount of beer consumed.

Bujak noted that Royal Docks Her Majesty, a Flanders red ale, was her favorite of the night. Boettger cited HiHO Brewing’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter as his favorite.

Bujak and Boettger – who also completed a beer trail in Traverse City, Mich., in two days – said they hope to do the Summit Brew Path again next year. But given the fact that it likely will include more breweries because more are opening this year in the area, they don’t think they’ll be able to do it in a day.

The passport also encourages beer drinkers to check out other regional breweries such as Lager Heads in Medina, Maize Valley in Marlboro Township and JAFB Wooster in Wooster - all of which have won medals at the prestigious Great American Beer Festival in Denver.